Hawks hold off Harrington, Knicks, 98-95

ATLANTA(AP) No team takes more 3-pointers than the New York Knicks.The Atlanta Hawks tried to keep pace, and it almost cost them the game.The
Hawks made only five of a season-high 26 3-pointers, but escaped with a
98-95 victory over the Knicks on Friday night when New York's Al
Harrington missed a last-second 3 that would have forced overtime."We played their game,'' Atlanta coach Mike Woodson said.The Knicks were close to their NBA-leading averages by making 11 of 34 3-pointers, but they needed to make 12.With
Atlanta leading by three, Harrington missed a jumper with 34 seconds
left. Atlanta took the rebound and worked the clock down before Marvin
Williams missed a long jumper with 5.6 seconds left.After a
timeout, Harrington passed to Chris Duhon, who was covered by Joe
Johnson at the top of the circle. Duhon passed back to Harrington, who
wasn't close on his hurried last-second attempt.Duhon said he should have taken the shot."I
just hesitated,'' Duhon said. "I saw them coming at me real fast. For
whatever reason, I just didn't shoot the ball. I should have shot the
ball. It was a great play.''Harrington scored 27 points but said he also regretted making his pass on the final play."It
was designed for me to catch and shoot,'' Harrington said. "It was a
great play, because I was open. I don't know, I just, when I turned and
looked, I didn't feel comfortable enough so I tried to get it to
somebody else.''Atlanta (12-6) is off to its best start since the 1997-98, when it was 15-3. Atlanta has won three straight and four of five.Williams scored 18 points to lead Atlanta. Johnson added 17 points and Josh Smith had 16.Johnson (1-for-7) and Smith (1-for-5) combined to make only two of 12 3-pointers."We got into what they wanted us to do - shooting jump shots,'' Smith said."We
were doing it, I guess, because we were open. They just weren't
falling. If they were falling, nobody would be saying anything about
it.''The Knicks lost despite holding an opponent under 100 points for the first time in 12 games."I think we got a lot of good effort tonight,'' said Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni."I'm encouraged by our play tonight, and we'll just go from here.''David Lee added 15 points and 11 rebounds for New York, and Wilson Chandler also had 15 points.The
Knicks had improved depth even as they continued to play without guard
Stephon Marbury, who was ordered by team president Donnie Walsh on
Monday to stay away from practices and games.Nate Robinson had
four points after missing four games because of a strained groin, and
Jared Jeffries returned from a broken left fibula to make his first
appearance of the season.Jeffries had six points and seven
rebounds but fell under the basket after scoring with 7:55 left to
play. He limped back up the court, appearing to favor the left leg, and
left the game. He didn't return but said he didn't aggravate the injury."More than anything it scared me,'' Jeffries said. "I'll get a lot better, get my legs back.''The
Hawks used a 10-0 run to take a 48-36 lead in the second quarter. Smith
scored six straight points in the run, giving him 14 points in his
first 12 minutes.Smith didn't score again until early in the final period.Atlanta's Al Horford had 14 points and nine rebounds. Mike Bibby had 10 points, including two 3-pointers in the last 5 minutes.Notes:
Hawks G Acie Law, suffering from flu symptoms, did not play. ... The
Hawks, who swept the Knicks 4-0 last season, have won six of the last
seven in the series. ... There was a sprinkling of Alabama crimson and
Florida blue in the stands with fans in Atlanta for Saturday's
Southeastern Conference championship game at the Georgia Dome. ...
Maurice Evans had 11 points, and Flip Murray 10 for Atlanta.